Our Perfect Italian Wedding – Getting Married In Puglia.

In August 2013 my husband and I had the most fabulous wedding in Puglia, Italy. We heartily recommend this fabulous region for any other couples wanting an affordable yet fabulous authentic Italian experience. The wonderful climate, fantastic food and wine and the friendliness of the people simply amazed us.

To help you decide if this could be an option for you I will give an overview of the wedding in this magical location.

When planning the event we wanted to have a wedding that was intrinsically Italian – to celebrate our wedding the way an Italian family would. This we achieved and more………

We knew the owners of the Masseria Della Zingara, which is located just outside Triggianello, near Castellana Grotte in Puglia. So it was the natural choice of venue. The beautiful masseria sleeps 19 which was the perfect solution for us and our closest family to stay. In fact we hired the entire masseria for 2 weeks. The rest of our guests stayed in the other local guest houses or in the nearby stunning costal town of Polignano a Mare. We were able to utilise a local taxi company who used mini buses to ferry the guest back and forth for the celebrations.

Our wedding in Puglia, Italy at the Masseria Della Zingara

Our actual wedding (with 45 guests) lasted 3 fabulous days. We had a pre-wedding dinner on the night before, a noon wedding on the actual day and a post wedding pool party the day after. It was all magical. I wish we could do it all again! The entire two weeks, including all the wedding celebrations cost us the same as the average one day wedding in the UK. Great value for money I think you would agree.

The civil service was held in the city commune in Castellana Grotte, 15 minutes drive from the Masseria. We were extremely honoured to have the Mayor perform the ceremony. All the guests were ferried back to the masseria for the celebrations while the mayor arranged for us newly weds to have some photos taken at the famous Castellana Grotto caves. Magic!

The Civil Ceremony at the Commune in Castella Grotte

The Commune.

Castellana Grotte caves.

Driving ‘Bianca’ home.

We then had the most incredible celebrations back at the masseria, a truly spectacular buffet reception and a blessing in the masseria’s chapel. The most amazing authentic local musicians and dancers entertained our guests (and us of course) . Our photographer (who I cannot recommend enough) whisked myself and my husband away to a local trulli to have some atmospheric photos taken – just brilliant. Later, we were all up dancing the night away and it was so much fun. And to finish the evening, fireworks!

I love the Radiance Bronzing Highlighter, it’s great for cheeks and eyes. It gives a lovely shine and warmth to your summer look and the Geranium BB Lips is an on-trend red/orange. It shouts summer. In the photo on the right I am wearing the bronzing highlighter on my cheeks and lids and the BB lips in Geranium on my lips. I also put a hint of the Geranium onto the apple of my cheeks for a little colour.

The nail collection is so pretty as well. I’m loving the pale yellow and muted orange. Perfect for summer. I would show you swatches, but my nails are in such bad condition I don’t want to compromise the lovely colours in any way!

Make sure you check this collection out and pick up a few items for your holiday.

Here is my original post…..

No7 have some wonderful sun care, makeup and skincare for this summer. In today’s post I am having a look at some of my favourites.

Suncreams, after sun care, beauty balms, and some truly bright and beautiful liners, blushes and lipsticks are just a few of my picks from the great products from No7 this summer.

*Anti-Ageing Shimmering Lip & Eye Screen SPF 30 (£7.50). A favourite is this Anti-Ageing Lip and Eye Screen. This is a very moisturising and light lip and lid balm that gives protection and the mearest hint of shimmer. It’s packaged just like a lipstick so super convenient. Very subtle and very elegant. I love it.

Another plus is the range is available in SPF 15 or 30 and the Anti-Dark Spot Facial Sun Protection comes in SPF 30 or 50 which is great. It’s 50 all the way for me!

I just have to mention about the Shimmering Lip and Lid Eye Screen again. So good!

No7 Primer

Next up is the *No7 Brilliantly Bare Beauty Enhancer (£12.50). I was a little unsure what this product would actually be, but was very pleased to see it is a primer for the skin. It is a colourless, lightweight formula that glides onto the skin. It leaves the skin feeling extra soft and very smooth, just like velvet. It reminds me very much of Benefit’s Porefessional but unlike Porefessional, this No7 product is colour free. As with all primers, Brilliantly Bare Beauty Enhancer will help keep your make up where you put it and not sliding down your face in the summer heat! This is definitely a must have product for summer if you like your make up to stay picture perfect all day. And there is nothing like the softness and smoothness that a really good priming product gives the skin. Bliss!

No7 Stay Precise Liquid Eyeliners

No7 Eyeliners

Now, onto my favourites things. Make up! No7 has some absolutely gorgeous colours and textures for summer. Starting with these eyeliners. Take a look at the colours. I absolutely adore Sky High and Mermaid. There are also a couple of metallic colours, the Metallic Royal (pictured) is a gorgeous navy blue. Any of these colours would be stunning for beach wear with a bright pop on the cheeks and a slick of coloured gloss on the lips. You would be so good to go. These must have *No7 Stay Precise Liquid Eyeliners (£7.50) come in 8 very wearable colours. (The golden brown and green would be perfect for the evening too!) These do not budge. Great staying power.

No7 Cream Eyeshadow

No7 Stay Perfect Smoothing Eyeshadow’s

I’m loving the *No7 Stay Perfect Smoothing Eyeshadow‘s (£8.00) too. They are convenient to pop in your bag, easy to use as they glide on and can be patted into place with your finger or a brush. And when they are dry they do not budge. The colour selection is lovely too. There are 6 colours. Pretty Pink, Pale Green and Iridescent Purple are so pretty and summery and the Nude, Bronze and Pewter Shine are simply the best for an easy, quick sexy, smoky evening eye. I really rate these as they are so simple to use, do not budge once set and have a gorgeous shimmery colour that is very attractive. Don’t miss out on them. They really are lovely.

No7 Mascara

No7 Lash Impact Mascara

Now where would a girl be without a fab mascara? I’m always on the look out for a mascara that is a really good black, a creamy consistency that glides on and does not clump. Clumping really annoys me. There is nothing worse than having to take the time to comb your lashes through after you have applied your mascara. *No7 Lash Impact Mascara (£10) has gone straight into my favourites drawer. It fulfils all the criteria. It’s black (it also comes in brown/black). It does not clump and it packs a lotta punch. I love it and have been wearing it non-stop since I got it. It has knocked Maybelline’s The Colossal of it’s perch as my favourite, go to mascara. Thats really saying something. Great mascara at a great price.

No7 Lip Gloss and Cream Blush

No7 High Shine Lip glosses

Finally lips and cheeks! Well, as mentioned above, for the beach or by the pool you need some bright colours on the cheeks and happy, shiny colour on the lips. No7 has these covered too….. The *No7 High Shine Lip glosses (£9.00) come in 15 attractive shades. And there are some real candy and neutral shades that have to go in you beach bag this summer. Pink Sherbet, Tangerine Twist and Almost Pink are my particular favourites. They are high shine indeed with a lovely flavour that reminds me of sweets. You can’t get much better than that!

No7 Pop & Glow Cream Blush

To match these lippies, No7 have their new No7 Pop & Glow Cream Blush Stick (£9.95). (I reviewed them here.) The easy to use and easy to carry blushes come in 3 colours, Rose Blossom, an icy pink; Mango Sorbet, a delicious orange and Classic Rose, a deeper pink. Again, just throw them in your bag and you are good to go. These blushes really are the essence of convenience but it is the colour and formulation that really makes my heart beat faster. As you can see the colours scream summer and co-ordinate beautifully with the high shine lipsticks. The sticks do glide easily onto the skin and and are perfect for building if you want more intense colour. I like the fact they are non-greasy. The remind me of a cream to powder product though this is not mentioned anywhere in the product description. I recommend!

So that’s my round up. All the products mentioned I have tried and can absolutely recommend. Summer is just around the corner so get yourself ready!

I’ve added some pics of looks I have done with the products. Hope they give you some inspiration. Enjoy!

Baby products you need

Parents’ 10 most useful baby products

There are so many baby products designed to make life easier for new parents, it can be hard to know which will help and which will be a waste of money. To help you find the baby products most likely to make your life easier, we asked 2,005 parents to tell us which products they bought and whether they found them useful or useless.
Besides the essential baby products, such as pushchairs, child car seats and cots/cotbeds/cribs/Moses baskets, we’ve rounded up the 10 most useful baby products as rated by our parents.

If you’re in the process of buying a pushchair or child car seat, make sure you take a look at our pushchair reviews and child car seat reviews to find the safest and most comfortable for your child. If you’re not yet a Which? member, you can sign up for £1 and unlock hundreds of reviews across the site.

Most useful baby products

1 Stair gate

Stair gates were rated as the most useful baby product, with more than 70% of the parents we asked saying they owned one. If you’ve got stairs in your home, or a kitchen that you want to keep young children out of, a stair gate can be a safety essential.

2 Baby changing bag

You could use any old bag to carry around your baby products when you’re out and about. But the advantage of a specifically designed baby changing bag is that it usually has different compartments to help you find what you need quickly, and many come with a foldaway changing mat. The parents we surveyed certainly appreciated theirs.

You can spend as much as you like on a baby changing bag. Prices start from under £20, but you could spend over £250 on a designer one.

3 Audio baby monitor

Audio baby monitors allow you to hear your little one when you’re not in the same room as them. There’s a wide range of baby monitors available, from basic sound-only monitors to video baby monitors (also in our top 10 list). Audio ones can cost anything from under £20 to over £60.

We’ve tested both audio and video baby monitors on sound quality, range, battery life and ease of use. Find the best one for you with our baby monitor reviews.

4 Electric steam steriliser kit

Using an electric steam steriliser kit can be a quick and easy way to sterilise your baby’s bottles, whether you’re using formula or expressing milk. Typically costing around £30 to £100, they are quick and fairly easy to use.

5 Microwave steam steriliser kit

As well as electric steam steriliser kits, microwave versions are also popular. Microwave steam steriliser kits are more compact and tend to be cheaper than electric ones. They typically cost around £20 to £50.

6 Video baby monitor

Video baby monitors are more sophisticated than simple audio monitors – not only can you see your baby, but some also have night vision and can be hooked up to your PC, TV and/or smartphone as well.

7 Baby sleeping bag

Baby sleeping bags are ‘wearable blankets’ designed to be worn by your baby at night, instead of using traditional sheets and blankets. They typically cost between £10 and £20 and will last until your baby is around 18 months old.

Take a look at our guide to find out about baby bedding and other safe sleeping tips.

8 Digital ear thermometer

The ear is considered to be the most reliable place to get a consistent reading of internal body temperature. A digital ear thermometer can give you a quick temperature reading for your child, and help you identify signs of fever.
They typically cost between £10 and £40. Read our reviews and advice on buying the best ear thermometers.

9 Baby bouncer chair

A baby bouncer chair allows younger babies to experience a seated rocking motion, and some models are even suitable from birth. They typically cost between £20 and £70 and were much more popular with parents than door baby bouncers (which can be found in our top 10 least useful baby products list).

For buying advice and safety tips on play equipment for babies and toddlers, read our guide.

10 Travel cot

Travel cots can be folded up, placed in a bag and taken with you if you are travelling with your baby. They can cost anything from £20 to over £100 and can also be used as a playpen.

Our research
We surveyed 2,005 GB parents aged 18+ with children aged under five. The survey was conducted online in February and March 2014. We asked parents to rate each of the baby products they’d bought on a scale on 1 to 10 for usefulness. These are the 10 baby products that were ranked as the most useful overall.

What do you think of this top 10 list? Are there other baby products you couldn’t live without? Let us know on Twitter, @WhichHome

If you would like to have your say on anything from baby products to bank accounts and help us with our research, join the Which? Connect panel. It’s open to all Which? subscribers.

I recently bought some pyjamas for Babygirl from Bambino Merino. When I received them I was reminded yet again why I have been buying baby wear from them for about 7 years. Sooooo soft. (100% superfine merino wool which is silky soft.)

Beautiful Photos……

Look at these gorgeous portraits by Bill Gekas. A Melbourne-based photographer, Bill makes beautiful portraits of his 5-year-old daughter, posing in the scenes of the classic paintings by artists like Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Raphael or Velazquez.

This week I was going to be a Norton Storm Pushchair Review as the pram is a little known brand and there isn’t much information or many reviews about it on the internet. We had it for 12 or so months, bought by my parents as a gift, just before my youngest was born.

Planning to take lots of photographs I decided that this week I had better give it a good cleaning to ready it – the last thing anybody wants to look at in a photo is mashed banana! Not a very good selling point if the reader was considering purchasing a similar pram.

However, before I could organise myself, it was stolen – from right under the noses of my son’s nursery staff. They were in no way at fault. The pram had been parked in the designated buggy park area in front of the nursery behind a fence. The nursery is on a road that gets a lot of foot traffic, and I guess some awful person spied it as they walked past and thought – ‘that’s a nice pram, I’ll be having that’ and furtively scurrying in behind the fence like a rat (I imagine), stole it.

Does a thief think or care of the hurt they inflict when they steal that which does not belong to them? Would they hesitate if they knew that the pram had been a gift from my parents and how upset and angry we all are that such a thing has happened?

Unfortunately I think not. All the thief is worried about is making a quick quid and the danger of getting caught. Uncaring about insurance claims (that is if it can be claimed), or the hundreds of pounds that the pram cost – which will have to be forked out again to purchase a replacement – I am sure they would sneer or insult if confronted. I do wonder if they are dumb enough to actually use the pram about our small town. My 5 year old is on constant pram surveillance – having been overawed at the trip to the police station to report its theft.

Angry as I was, and upset as I am, all I can do now is say a few words in parting to my lovely pram that I will miss and would recommend.

Norton Storm Pushchair Review

It was a Norton Storm Pushchair in Black Magic. A fantastic looking pram with a light aluminium frame, it had an extending handle (great as I am over 6ft) and a seat that was able to be parent (rear) facing or forward facing. Any pram I have now must be rear facing. The pram we had bought for my eldest had not been, and an incident when a stranger informed me that my baby son was silently choking scared me half to death and I swore I would only have rear facing prams from then on. Such a good idea as at all times baby can see you and you them.

The pram comes with a complete travel system:

Baby cot for newborns. (Separate Purchase.)

Baby Car Seat. (Separate Purchase.)

Pushchair seat for when baby is older.

Warm cosy toes.

Summer cosy.

Rain Protective Cover.

A smart looking baby bag that cleverly clips onto the front of the pram.

The reason I went with this pram instead of the iCandy Cherry, which is the other pram I was contemplating purchasing, is the guarantee, which is two years as opposed to the one year on the iCandy. Also, the Norton had sprung front wheels, which the iCandy doesn’t (the springs on the iCandy are for show only). It was also a little more competitively priced – which is always a consideration for most parents.

I had been lucky enough to compare the prams side by side at the Earls Court Baby Show which is always a good place to go if you want to see all the leading pram and pushchair manufacturers together under one roof. And you can usually pick up some good deals as well.

But back to the pram! There were only two suggestions that I would pass on to the manufacturers.

Firstly I found the front wheels to have a mind of their own and had to have them permanently locked in the fixed position. This meant the manoeuvrability of the pushchair was compromised some what. I had to put a neck cushion in the pram to protect my babies head from moving too suddenly as I would ‘hoik’ the pram off its front wheels to be able to change direction. Not ideal but I have found this with most lighter prams/strollers as they don’t have the weight to aid ‘front wheel drive’.

Secondly, and this is a minor point, but still annoying. The cosy toe zipped up along its bottom. Making it very difficult to zip it up completely as the side of the pram gets in the way. I would change this to zip up around the top if I were the manufacturers. Much easier for Mum.

Also I would consider the following when purchasing:

It is one of the new generation prams built for lightness, so if you’re going to do a lot of off-roading I wouldn’t purchase this pram.

And similarly, if you do a lot of travel by public transport then I would consider another pushchair as the Norton folds down in two pieces. The seat has to be detached. Not the ideal situation for travelling on the bus or train, but fine if it’s just going in the back of the car.

Would I recommend this pram? Yes I would. It was smart looking, comfortable and light. Would I recommend getting a bicycle lock to secure it? Yes I most definitely would. I miss my Norton. Every time I see the rain cover, or the cosy toes, or use the pram bag around the house I think of it and curse the thief.

I believe in karma.

So watch out thief.

Please excuse the stock photos – as explained above – too late now to take my own photos!

Folded down. Seat must be removed and is not shown.

Norton Storm Pushchair.

Norton Storm Pushchair. In Black Magic.

Black Magic Fabric with coloured piping. Norton Storm Pushchair.

Norton Storm Pushchair with cot, car seat and nappy bag.

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I had a store bought pillow for my first two babies, and while it was adequate, it was too flat and kept riding away from me as I fed. This allowed baby to slip down between the pillow and me. Far from ideal.

What I wanted was a pillow that could be fastened to me and a pillow that was high enough so I did not have to prop it with cushions and other pillows.

So began my online search. And I came across a fantastic feeding pillow here. ‘Thrupenny Bits’ cockney rhyme for t**ts!) sell beautiful, trendy but practical feeding pillows that are also very portable and reasonably priced. (prices start at £33) I was instantly taken with them. However, and apologies to ‘Thrupenny Bits’, I had some left over Harlequin ‘Alina” furnishing fabric that would make a beautiful pillow and as I can sew a little I decided to try to make a feeding pillow myself. But if your not the sewing sort head over to ‘Thrupenny bits’ to purchase one.

I drew a template, half moon in shape with elongated ends that would become the ties, 65 cms across and 32 cms down.

Outer cover for the feeding pillow

Inner pillow.

Feeding pillow

And still easy to use now that she is 7 months

A fab and functional feeding pillow

Feeding Pillow – Do It Yourself and Go Anywhere With Ease!

Comfortable to use as a seat

Can be used to keep baby upright too. Cool!

I cut out 4 pieces on the material that was just over a meter long and 138cm wide. Two tops in the 100% soft cotton Harlequin furnishing fabric and two bottoms in a complimentary soft corduroy furnishing fabric. I decided on these fabrics as they are hardwearing and practical (I wash and tumble dry them both on low settings with no problems even though they state dry clean only). This made 2 covers; one for the pillow and one for the wash. I would have preferred another say 50cm length as I had to use the selvedge with the fabric branding on it. But now I think that looks kind of cool anyway…..

I also cut 2 identical pieces from some tough wearing plain calico I had lying around. This was for the inner pillow.

I then sewed the pieces together for the pillow and the two covers, fitting a long zip to the inner curve of each.

I filled the pillow with bean bag beads. This was a messy job as the balls are so light! But once done I was very pleased. I was also glad I had put in a long zip into the covers as it made inserting the filled inner pillow easy and simple.

The bag was a little full when I tried it so I simply sat a few times on the pillow to flatten it a little!

*After using for about 3 months the pillows need topping up as the beads do compress. I found this to be a nightmare – messy and difficult because of the extremely light and flyaway nature of the beads. (My Mum who helped can attest to this!) So I recommend, as thrupenny bits does, filling with hollow fibre instead.

So I am really pleased with the finished product. And as it ties to me I can stand and move with her still feeding. Although I stress, and double stress, I never move around without holding on to baby and the pillow. Otherwise baby would slide right off! But so practical.

And if you don’t feel like making one yourself – hop along to ‘Thrupenny bits’ to purchase one. They would also make a great gift.

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Product Name: HippyChick Hipster SeatPrice: £25 – £39.95Available from: Hippychick, Amazon and other baby goods suppliersMain Claim: has been developed to allow adults to carry their children naturally on their hip without the usual strains on the back (as per Hippychick)Age Range: 6 months and up (as per Hippychick)Size: Suitable for a waist size of up to 48 inches or 120cm, extension available. (as per Hippychick)
Available in 7 different colours.

Carrying a toddler on your hip for extended periods is a strain on the body, uncomfortable for you and for the toddler. Hippychick claim that this product has been designed to alleviate this problem; to allow you to hold a toddler on your hip for an extended period without strain on your back and in comfort for your toddler.

This product was recommended to me when I had my first baby 7 years ago. I used it well into both my two boys second year and will use it again for babygirl. Hippychick recommends that it is used for babies 6 months and up (they are then old enough to sit astride and hold up their heads, but with my second baby I have used it as a support for my arm when holding my newborn. Now that he is over 6 months I have it on permanently at home and also when I am out and about and he wants to be carried.

Hippychick claim that the seat enables you to carry a baby/toddler without putting strain on your back and I agree with this 100%, however, I will say that I do suffer from ‘arm fatigue’ from holding him against me if I carry him for an extended period. It is important to note that the seat does allow you to carry them for extended periods, because you are not holding them ‘up and on’ your hip tightly, rather you are cradling them to stop them tipping backwards (or forwards if they are facing out) from the seat/shelf.

Another plus is that baby is sitting higher than if they were on your hip and is more easily able to see your face, and you theirs, and whats going on around them.

My views on Hippychick claims for the Hipster Seat

‘Suitable for a waist size of up to 48 inches or 120cm, extension available.’ I would agree with this, I have not used the extension however.

‘Strong, hardwearing fabric.’ Made of canvas , I have found the product to be extremely hard wearing. I have also not noticed any fading of the fabric. See my photos below for condition of mine, which I have had for 4 years+.

‘Super light.’ It weighs 356 grams, so yes, it is very light.

‘Simple, practical and easy to use.’ I agree with this.

‘Inward facing pockets for safe keeping passports, cash, credit cards, car keys etc.’ It does have an inward facing pocket, but when the foam seat is in place you can’t get much in there.

‘Machine washable.’ I have washed it following the instructions with no problems. I have only washed it once in the 2+ years I have used it. I have found no need to wash it more often.

‘When the child is older you can remove the seat and use it as a bum bag/money belt or simply as a straightforward back support.’ As a bum/bag money belt it would be very durable and easily hold the items Hippychick claims above. However its pretty big and noticeable. Good back support as it is wide and strong.

To sum up, this is a product I have owned for over four years and has now had a good two and a half years use with my babies. I recommend it, and would go as far as saying that it is a must have product. The product is so well wearing and durable that I would have no hesitation in putting it on eBay when my babies are too big for it. Check out the Hippychick web site for the full range of colours.